Cats win conference title; battle 'Dogs to a draw

The Columbia Falls Wildcat girls soccer team had a landmark week, with two shutouts against Browning and Libby, clinching the North Class A Conference Championship along with earning the prestigious Team of the Month award from the Montana High School Association —a recognition given to just one team among all fall Class A sports programs across the state for their performance and dedication.

On Tuesday, they tied rival Whitefish, 1-1. Riley Byrd buried a powerful strike from outside the 18-yard box to even the score at 1-1 in the 74th minute, but the Cats couldn't get another goal before time ran out,

“These girls have been working so hard since early in the summer toward achieving their collective goals. It’s really cool that their hard work is being recognized by the MHSA,” coach Thomas Clark said. “A big goal of theirs was to repeat as conference champions, so it means a lot to get that done. We will need to continue to improve and work as we head into the postseason.”

The Wildcats delivered a commanding 10-0 shutout against the Browning Indians on Thursday at Flip Darling Field.  The Cats had nine players score in the contest, with Onnikka Lawrence leading the way with two. Taylor Rodgers also played a significant role in the matchup with four assists.

Following their commanding performance against Browning, the Wildcats returned to the field Saturday for Senior Night, welcoming the Loggers to town. Taylor Rodgers put the Cats on the board first, striking 16 minutes into the game, and the team maintained control throughout, closing out the night with a decisive 7-0 win. Goalie Elaina Dorr achieved her 16th career shutout and set a school record in the process.

The Wildcats walked away with an impressive 30 shots on goal, while Libby managed just one.  Fouls were minimal, with 4 on the Cats and 1 on the Loggers.

“All of our senior field players got goal contributions on Senior Night and Dorr set the school record for shutouts in a career, so it was awesome to see them get to celebrate their careers with such strong performances,” Clark said

“We will continue to do what we have all year, take it one game at a time and prepare for the opponent at hand.  We get some time as coaches to look into the style and approach of the opponents we will play in the playoffs and then we will work with the team through training and film sessions,” Clark said as the team readies for the playoffs. “There is no reason to be nervous for something that you have prepared for with everything you have, so our job now is honing in on the preparation piece and then going and executing on game day.”

As conference champs, the Cats secure home field throughout the playoffs.